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Guide to Starship Command
, your employer aboard the ship.]] Starship Command refers to the ranking and command structure of spaceborne vessels in use by the United Nations, including those of the Final Frontier Project. This guide refers to the rankings used by the Sol Defense Corps. This guide can and should be used as the primary guide to military conduct and ranking in RP. Departments * Service: Junior ranks responsible for ship maintenance and basic custodial tasks. Comprises the Crewman role and the future Janitor and Chef roles. * Engineering: Technical department in charge of ship and reactor upkeep, maintenance, construction, and repair. * Science: Department in charge of research and development. Primarily focuses on xenobiology, chemistry, particle physics, and energetics. * Medical: Responsible for the upkeep and well-being of the crew, as well as the treatment of any injuries or maladies that may occur. * Security: Department tasked with policing crew and upholding the law. All security personnel are trained in leadership to some extent. * Command: Bridge and command crew, comprised of bridge officers as well as the officers of each department. * Marines: Special marine detachment, belonging to the UN Marine Corps, intended for military-grade rapid response to threats security cannot otherwise handle. Under the jurisdiction of the Sol Defense Marine Corps. * Special Operations/Spec Ops: UN SDCN special operations detachment tasked with precise strikes, ranging from assassinations to targeted raids. Under the jurisdiction of the Navy. Terminology''' ' Definitions for usage in this guide. * '''Sol Defense Corps (SDC)' - The external space warfare military of the United Nations. Sister department of the Peacekeeper Corps. * SDCN - Short for the Sol Defense Corps Navy. The navy that you work for onboard the ship if you are a crewmember. * SDMC - Short for Sol Defense Marine Corps. The Marine division of the SDC, and the parent service branch of the Marines. * Personnel - Any serving crewmember of the vessel. * Enlisted - Crew members in a position of service. * Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) - Senior enlisted crew members, or personnel that are trained in basic command duties. * Commissioned Officer (CO or Officer) - High-ranking personnel who possess college education and are usually placed in command or high ranking positions of authority. * Line Officer - Commissioned officers that take the position of command roles such as the First Officer or Captain. * Flag Officer - Officers ranked Rear Admiral (O-7) or above. They are subject to special procedures but otherwise outrank everyone onboard. * Superior Officer - Any officer, commissioned or otherwise, that is above you in the chain of command. * Subordinate - Personnel who are below you in the chain of command, officer or otherwise. Additional auxiliary terminology for ranking positions are: * Commanding Officer (CO) - The leading Line Officer of a vessel, most usually a Commander (O-5) or Captain (O-6). Called a “Captain” in all but the most formal occasions. * Executive Officer (XO) - The second-in-command Line Officer of a vessel, usually a Lieutenant (O-3) if the CO is a Commander, or a Commander (O-5) if the CO is a Captain. They serve as the First Officer. * Resident Officer in Charge (ROIC) - Most often referred to as “Acting Captain” - this is usually the First Officer should the Captain be deemed unfit for duty, being rendered out of commission, or dying. Naval Ranks (SDC Navy) Enlisted Enlisted form the majority of the military ranks. They man the stations and do the dirty work, and answer to all officers; however, the senior ranks often have more field experience than most Lieutenants. Specialty Officers Specialty Officers (prefix: S) are officers who are college-educated and, thus, receive a college degree; however, as they are not trained on command duties they are designated in UN regulations to be classified as their own rank group between NCOs and commissioned officers. All Specialty Officers are formally ranked as Ensigns, however, they officially rank below Ensigns in the chain of command. Commissioned Officers Commissioned officers are high-ranking personnel who have received a commission from a politician or senior military official. They always possess at least one college degree and likely went to a military academy or an ROTC program in a college. Flag Officers Flag Officers cannot be used in normal roleplay, as they cannot be found on the ship. Flag Officers are officers who command battlegroups or fleets. They are not found on non-capital ships and are often instead seen visiting as an inspector. Infantry Ranks (SDC Marine Corps) Enlisted and Warrant Officers Commissioned Officers Etiquette Drill Procedures Terminology for drill procedures when called on by a superior officer. * Attention - Feet and hands closed and rigid, back straight, head up, shoulders back, eyes facing forward. Do not make eye contact with a superior officer if they are passing you. When at attention, respond to questions with “Yes Sir/Ma’am”. Raise your voice, but do not shout unless in a pre-deployment briefing. * At Ease - Less rigid position, feet spread apart at shoulder width, hands crossed in a knife-like pattern behind your back. * At Rest - Resting behavior, maintain upright posture but otherwise feel free to roam around. * "As you were" - Statement issued by a superior that means to return to prior duty, or whatever you were doing before you meet the superior. * Salute - Right hand in the shape of a knife, thumb in line with your fingers, upon the brim of your headgear, right arm out straight from your shoulder. * Salute Courtesy - Salutes are to be given at a standstill or when walking. Do not give a salute while running. ** Do not salute when performing critical tasks or at a workstation that requires attention. ** Do not salute when sitting down, not in uniform, in quarters, or in a casual environment. ** Due to a lack of uniform headcovers for personnel, saluting without headgear is permitted. Courtesy All personnel are required to greet or salute their superior officers only when greeting them for the first time. * The customary greeting to a senior NCO or commissioned officer for the first time is "Good morning/afternoon/evening (Rank) (Last Name)". An example would be "Good afternoon Master Chief Johnson" or "Commander Johnson". This should be done at attention and giving a salute. ** 06:00-12:00 is Morning. ** 12:00-18:00 is Afternoon. ** 18:00-06:00 is Evening. * Do not stand and give a salute while in the middle of performing critical duties (such as navigation)--simply state the greeting. * Superior officers, when addressed, are not required to return the salute. They are required to return the greeting, however. Do not salute a subordinate before they do. * Formally addressing a superior non-commissioned officer or an inferior officer is to be done with their rank followed by their surname, such as “Petty Officer Johnson”. Commissioned officers (O-1 and above) should only be referred to by enlisted and NCOs as Sir or Ma’am, depending on either their gender or their preferential address. * Addressing an officer of equal or lower rank should be done with Mr. (Mister), Ms. (Miss), or Mrs. (Misses), such as "Mr. Johnson" or "Ms. Williams". ** Officers and personnel who lack a surname are permitted to be called by their first or identifying name. * The Commanding Officer can and should always be called "Captain" while in charge of a ship. * Flag officers such as Admirals are to be referred to as their rank (“Admiral Johnson”), barring Sir/Ma’am. * Flag Officers must always return a salute to the ship's Captain. While they are to be treated with elevated respect, they do not directly command the ship and as a result, will often delegate command duties to the Commanding Officer of the vessel. Chain of Command The Chain of Command follows departmental hierarchy first before the command roles. Your direct superior as a member of a department is your department Officer. These include the Engineering Officer or Medical Officer. As an enlisted department member, your job is to do your duty and follow orders from your superior officer. Department officers, also known as Line Officers, know their discipline best and are usually the most senior members of their department. Their responsibility is to delegate tasks and oversee their own members in order to ensure their department is working smoothly. They report directly to the Captain. Bridge officers, including the Navigator and Communications Officer, are meant to take authority on the bridge only. While they do not fall within the departmental chain of command, they can act as representatives of the Bridge crew itself. Marines are expected to follow the orders of their superior Marine Officer for most affairs, and the Marine Officer can override the captain’s decision only on external occasions such as away missions. Marines do not fall within the traditional Navy chain of command, and as a result, they are not immediately under the Captain's jurisdiction. Spec Ops fall under the command of the Navy itself and, as a result, are under the jurisdiction of the Captain. The First Officer is in charge of managing all crewmembers without a department officer, as well as serve as the right hand to the Captain and advisor to any affairs. They take the position of acting Captain (ROIC) in their absence, and function to manage the rest of the ship’s activities while the captain is on the Bridge. The Captain is unconditionally the highest authority on board the ship, in charge of managing all crewmembers as well as act on command from the Bridge. They are able to issue arresting orders as well as order disciplinary action to be taken on any crewmember. Captains are allowed to authorize executions only if brought up by another military or security Line Officer (TO, MaO, SOO). Alert Procedure In extraordinary circumstances an emergency may be enacted under the Captain's discretion or if at least two or more Line Officers agree to declare such. During any such emergency, the following procedure is enacted: * All department personnel are to report to their superior Officer for instructions. * The Captain, First Officer, or Critical Line Officer (see below) are permitted during an emergency to call a mandatory Officer briefing in the Meeting Room, the Bridge, or another location. * Relevant personnel during the emergency are advised to prepare their equipment and/or a hardsuit for better protection. * All non-essential crew is required to yield to relevant personnel during the emergency, and clear critical traversal routes such as doorways or corridors. * Extravehicular activity (EVA) is to be suspended and all personnel currently on EVA are required to return inside. * Transit, unless in an emergency retreat, is to be suspended. Line of Succession In the event of an emergency, the line of succession is to be enacted as follows: Captain < First Officer < Critical Line Officer* < Other Line Officers < Bridge Officers < NCOs** < Enlisted < Other *Critical Line Officer is defined as the Line Officer that is most critical to the current ship situation. For example, in an engineering emergency (core failure, hull damage), the Engineering Officer takes priority. The Marine Officer and Spec Ops Officer are both permitted to command their own units if necessary during a security emergency. **An NCO (non-commissioned officer) is defined as any enlisted crewman ranking E-4 (Petty Officer Third Class) or above. All Security officers are NCOs. Line Officers in charge of emergencies Category:Guides